# December 28: Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

/ Published Dec. 28, 2016
December 28, 2016Release #20161228-01FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**SOUTHWEST ASIA —**On Dec. 27, Coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted four strikes coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter, rotary, and remotely piloted aircraft as well as rocket artillery against ISIL targets.**Syria**.  Near Al Shadaddi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle..  Near Ar Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units; destroyed 11 fighting positions, a surface-to-air missile truck and a radar truck, a heavy machine gun, and a mortar system; damaged two supply routes; and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit..  Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed two supply caches.**Iraq**.  Near Kirkuk, one strike engaged an ISL tactical unit and destroyed a tractor..  Near Mosul, three strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit; destroyed four mortar systems, two VBIED factories, an unmanned aerial vehicle facility, two front-end loaders, an ISIL tactical vehicle, and an ISIL-held building; damaged a front-end loader and a VBIED; disabled two bridges; and suppressed two ISIL tactical units and a mortar system.Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location.So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use.Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. The information used to compile the daily strike releases is based on 'Z' or Greenwich Mean Time.Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.